Born on Sept 26, 1934, in Kansas City, Mo., and raised in Merriam and Bucyrus, Kansas, Keith was the third oldest of Ralph Stephen Holland and Frances E. Bailey Holland’s 13 children. After attending St. Joseph elementary school, he graduated in 1951 from Queen of the Holy Rosary high school in Bucyrus.
He attended St. Benedict’s College, now Benedictine College, for a year before joining his father’s new construction firm, Holland Corp., where he began as a laborer. He worked his way up, learning all parts of the business — including operating heavy machinery — and becoming a supervisor, job superintendent, and finally vice president. He retired in 1997.
On June 4, 1960, he married Margaret Helen Verhaeghe at Queen of the Holy Rosary – Wea. He joined the Navy Air Reserve at age 18 and was drafted into the Army in 1957, honorably discharged in 1959.
Though his career was rooted in the ground, Keith’s hobbies were more untethered. He learned to fly at the historical State Line Airpark in Leawood. He earned a variety of certifications and ratings by the early 1990s, including owning and flying his own helicopter. He also loved to sail, fish, ride motorcycles, and travel with Margaret in their RV.
An avid golfer, he was a member of Tubac Golf Resort and past member of Milburn Country Club. He was an accomplished woodworker. Civic-minded, Keith gave time to a variety of community organizations. Most recently, in Tubac, he was a member of the Knights of Columbus and a lector and eucharistic minister of St. Ann’s Parish.
Margaret survives him, as do children Philip Holland and his wife, Tracy, of Dallas, Texas; Michael Holland and his wife, Angie, of LaCygne, Kansas; Jennifer Holland Burns and her husband, Jay, of Topsham, Maine; and Mark Holland and his wife, Dorothy, of Bakersfield, Calif.; 12 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; brothers Mac Holland, Jim Holland, Harold Holland, and Chuck Miller; and sisters Mary Lou Rottinghaus, Cathy Jones, and Ruth Dinges.
He was predeceased by a son, Robert, and brothers R. Stephen Holland, Rue Holland, Richard Holland, Frank Holland, and Ron Holland.
Visitation is 9–11 a.m. and the rosary will be recited at 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 6 at Curé of Ars Catholic Church, 9401 Mission Road, Leawood, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial. A committal service will be held at 2:30 p.m. at Oak Lawn Memorial Gardens, 13901 Black Bob Road, Olathe.
In lieu of flowers, please contribute to your favorite charity in Keith’s name. Please share a memory at www.mcgilleystatelinechapel.com.
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